Better load factor is key April 8, 2010 AT LAST, there is sun on the horizon for the beleaguered airline industry. Easyjet yesterday said its passenger numbers were up 13.5 per cent in March compared to last year, a similar result to Ryanair, which carried 13 per cent more passengers last month. Although both companies said they saw increased business thanks to the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 6, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES GAZPROM TO LAUNCH RUSSIA’S BIGGEST BOND ISSUE Gazprom will seek to raise Rbs300bn ($10.2bn) in Russia’s biggest bond issue programme to date, as the gas export monopoly tries to take advantage of a booming domestic bond market to restructure its debts and raise funds for upcoming investments. Gazprom said it had mandated Gazprombank, [...]
Ryanair looks for new phones partner March 29, 2010 Ryanair, Europe’s largest budget airline, said yesterday it would end its in-flight phone service when its trial with OnAir finishes and will instead look for another supplier to roll out the facility across its fleet. The Irish airline said the 13-month contract, which was tested across 50 Ryanair planes, would end because the carrier and [...]
Foodie Puglia finding a place in adventurous tourists’ hearts March 21, 2010 FOR centuries, sophisticated Italians from the north have regarded their southern compatriots with a mix of disdain and snobbery, even going as far as to brand them “terrone” in an allusion to the region’s historical dependence on agriculture and the peasants that used to work the land. Although modern-day Puglia – which occupies the heel [...]
Nicholls charge finally earns Big Buck’s for the bookies March 18, 2010 TRAINER Paul Nicholls hailed the “hugely talented” Big Buck’s after finally bringing joy to favourite backers and claiming back-to-back victories in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham. After defeats to Dunguib and Master Minded earlier in the week, the 5-6 on shot finally got the bookmakers paying out for red-hot favourites with a dominant display. [...]
Imperial a decent tip to finish in top three March 18, 2010 WE’VE had the thriller in Manila and the rumble in the jungle. Now it’s the War of the Wolds. Kauto v Denman III isn’t going to be quite the classic decider we have all wanted since the Tank and AP had that difference of opinion the first time they stepped out together at Newbury. Kauto [...]
CITY BIDS FAREWELL TO ANCIENT BROKER March 17, 2010 AFTER over 200 years providing services to the City of London, it was a sad farewell yesterday to the oldest stockbroking name in the Square Mile. The origins of Hichens Harrison can be traced back to at least 1803, when it was in business shortly following the formation of the Stock Exchange, though the exact [...]
Nicholls to land double with Alfie and Poquelin March 17, 2010 PHILIP Hobbs has his string in rude health and I’ll be taking a chance on his COPPER BLEU in the opener at 16/1 with William Hill. The eight-year-old was only narrowly touched off at Aintree last year having finished fourth in the Supreme Novices at the Festival. He looks to have been campaigned with this [...]
Barbers Shop is no match for Nicholls’ Poquelin in Ryanair March 17, 2010 AGAIN, it’s certainly worth taking advantage of one of Sporting Index’s numerous match bets this afternoon. By challenging their prediction of the distance between a chosen pair of horses as they cross the line in a race, you can oppose any horse that you don’t fancy. The maximum winning distance make-up is set at 15 [...]
CHELTENHAM BRINGS THE CITY OUT IN FORCE March 16, 2010 TO Gloucestershire yesterday for the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, the favourite corporate entertainment jolly of the year for many a self-respecting racegoer. Bucking the austere trend of recent years, this year’s Festival has already seen a roaring trade in City schmoozing, with the long list of companies taking private suites including HSBC, BlackRock, [...]